


Happy New Year

by thatwriterlady



Series: Wine And Roses [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Attraction, First Date, Flirting, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Kissing, M/M, Ringing in the New Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:19:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Dean takes Cas out to dinner and then to his company's party as promised.  Cas is absolutely perfect.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go, a romantic, getting to know one another first date. If you want more, let me know and maybe I'll make it a series. I hope you enjoy this one. Happy New Year!

  
on [piZap.com](http://www.pizap.com)

 

 

 

There was absolutely NO reason to be this nervous.  And yet, he was.  Dean changed his clothes 3 times, but he knew none of his suits would be good enough so he went and got a new one, sitting through the tailoring so that he could get it back the same day.  Steel gray with a light blue tie and a waistcoat.  Checking in with his best friend Charlie told him he’d made the right choice. 

 

“Looking good there, Winchester!  You’re going to knock him dead!”

 

That was the encouragement he needed.  Cas was so gorgeous and he wanted to make the best possible impression.  He needed to show the man that this auction wasn’t a bad idea, and that he was absolutely _nothing_ like Balthazar.  Cas was already nervous about this date and had said so several times during their text conversations, but he wasn’t backing out.  He’d confessed that he was deeply attracted and wanted very much to attend the party with Dean.  He was just nervous.  Dean got the impression that he had been burned by more than just Balthazar in the past.  Cas was beautiful, inside and out, and just through their text conversations he had learned so much about the man, and it all just made him like the man even more.

 

Cas was the 4th oldest of 7 children, and the only Milton not working for the family business, besides his brother Samandriel.  Their family was driven, rather ruthless, save for Gabe, and while they had been disappointed that Cas had gone into teaching, they admired him and were proud of him.  He was 38, had been single for the better part of 5 years now, had a small house about 4 blocks from Dean’s own, a cat named Riot, a dog named Poppy (a surprise present just that Christmas from his sister Anna and her family after their dog had puppies.  Apparently nearly all of the siblings got a puppy), he liked gardening, listening to music, and traveling.  That had prompted Dean into asking how he usually traveled.  To his delight he learned that Cas liked just getting in his car and taking off, traveling wherever the roads happened to take him.  That was Dean’s favorite thing to do, and he told the man as much.

 

In return Dean told him some about his own life.  He was 34, single, never married, no relationship in the last year, mostly by choice.  His parents were divorced and he had 2 younger brothers, Sam and Adam and a younger sister, Wendy.  Adam was from his father’s second marriage and Wendy was from his mother’s.  He got his passion for working on cars from his father and his business sense from his mother.  Combined, he inherited his first shop from his uncle and built from there.  His mother, father, and stepfather all worked for him, but not in the same shop.  Sam had opted to go into law and Wendy was still in high school.  He loved his family and took the time to visit with both sides during the holidays.  The weekend before Christmas, he had gone to visit his dad’s side, and on Christmas day he was at his mother’s. 

 

As Saturday crept closer, Dean found his nervousness being replaced by excitement.  On Saturday he treated himself to a haircut and a shave, then took his time getting ready.  Cas had texted twice, making sure they were still on for that night, and Dean had assured him both times that they most certainly were.  He showered, dressed slowly, making sure everything was pressed and wrinkle free before he put it on, and for good measure, he added a few dabs of his favorite cologne.  Standing in front of his mirror he decided he approved.  It was time to go and pick up his date.

 

**hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

 

It was a quick drive to Cas’ house and as he got out of the car and walked up to the door, he found himself smiling.  The place was charming, and it had “Cas” written all over it, from the cat doormat to the wooden plant boxes under the front windows.  The place looked cozy.  He rang the bell and waited.

 

When the door opened Dean found it very difficult to breathe.  Cas looked fantastic in his dress pants and waistcoat.  He had chosen a red tie over a black pinstripe shirt.  His hair…Oh how Dean just wanted to run his fingers through it…

 

“Hello, Dean, please, come in.  I am trying still to get Poppy to use the bathroom.  Potty training a puppy is not easy.”

 

Cas motioned for him to step into the house, so he did.

 

“How old is the pup?”  Dean asked.

 

“10 weeks old.  She loves the snow.  Glad someone does.”  Cas chuckled as he started walking.  Dean followed and soon they were standing at a set of patio doors at the back of the house.  Dean’s heart threatened to melt when he saw the tiny chocolate, white, and gold puppy bouncing around in the snow wearing the most adorable little sweater. 

 

“She’s so cute.”  He tried hard not to gush but it was hard not to when you were watching something so small and innocent running around, trying to catch the fat snowflakes that were falling.  Cas smiled warmly at him for a moment before turning his attention back to the puppy.  So far, she hadn’t noticed them standing there.

 

“This was not what I expected as a Christmas present.”

 

“You don’t have to keep her, you know.  That was maybe a little presumptuous of your sister to just give you a puppy.  Unfortunately, that’s how many dogs end up in shelters.”  Dean didn’t want to sound like an ass, but it was the truth.

 

“No, it’s fine.  I always wanted a dog, I just thought I’d adopt an already trained adult dog, not start from scratch with a puppy.  I’m glad I pulled up the carpet when I moved in and sealed the existing hard wood floors.”

 

“What kind of dog is she?”  Dean asked.

 

“Oh, well, my sister’s sister in law, she had a dog they couldn’t keep anymore.  Her sister in law is battling cancer and the family wants to focus on her recovery.  The fewer expenses and distractions, the easier that will be, so they gave away the 4 dogs they had.  They didn’t have children because of a bout with cancer when she was young, so the dogs were more their kids than anything.  My sister and her husband decided to take one of the dogs.  I don’t know who took the other ones.  They couldn’t take more than the one because they already had 2 dogs of their own.  Well, the dog, Lucy, she came already pregnant, much to my sister’s chagrin.  Too far along to abort, so they lined up homes instead.  I know that Lucy is a Golden Retriever, but I have no idea what breed the father was.  If I had to wager a guess though, I’d say Australian Shepherd.  And that’s going off the colors.  I just know they didn’t have any huskies.”  Cas explained.

 

“That’s pretty great of your family to step in.  I’m sorry to hear about her sister in law though.  My stepmom has battled cancer twice now.  It’s rough.”

 

Poppy came running, racing through the belly deep snow as fast as her little legs could carry her, but stopped at the stairs and barked.

 

“She hasn’t mastered the stairs yet.”  Cas explained as he opened the door and stepped out onto what Dean realized was a pretty big deck.  After fetching the wiggling puppy and wrapping her in a towel to dry her, they headed to the kitchen where there was a crate waiting.

 

“I can’t give her free range of the house until she’s fully potty trained.  I really hope that doesn’t take long.”  Cas had peeled the sweater off the happy puppy and dried her some more before placing her in the crate with a couple of toys.  The pup flopped down in her little blanket lined dog bed and looked up at them.  If Dean didn’t know any better he’d say she was smiling.

 

“I can understand not wanting to let her run loose yet.  Even after you get the potty training done, she’ll be teething.”  Dean pointed out.  Cas groaned.

 

“I know.  I will be investing in training for her.  It’s worth it though, I think.  I love dogs.” 

 

“How does your cat feel about her?”  Dean looked around but didn’t see the cat they had talked about over text.

 

“Oh, she’s upstairs somewhere.  She knows the dog can’t climb the stairs yet, so she hides up there.”  Cas turned and made a clicking noise with his tongue.  “Riot!  Come here, girl!”  At first there was nothing and then Dean heard the soft tinker of a bell.  A moment later a very fluffy black cat poked her head around the corner, nose sniffing the air before bright green eyes settle on the dog in her crate.  She looked thoroughly disgusted.

 

“Hey, sweet girl.  Come get a treat.”  Cas crossed the kitchen to open a cabinet and the moment the cat heard the rustle of the treat bag, she hurried over to sit at his feet.

 

“Is she…trained?  I didn’t think cats did that.  I was always under the impression that they did whatever they wanted.”  Dean said.

 

“It’s just been me and Riot for a long time.  I worked with her since she was a kitten and taught her a few tricks.  Mostly I just wanted her to stay off my counters.  She usually does.”  Cas held the treat up so the cat could see it.

 

“Such a good girl, you sit so pretty.”  He stroked her head twice before offering her the treat. 

 

“She’s pretty.”  Dean was impressed, both with the cat’s manners and with Cas’ patience in training her.  He had no doubt the dog’s manners would be just as good when he was done with her.

 

“Well, I’m ready to go if you are.”  Cas smiled and Dean’s heart started racing.  It had been ages since someone caused a reaction like that in him.  He really wanted to see where things could go between them.

 

“Sure.  I have dinner reservations for 6:30.”  Dean led him back into the living room where there was were hooks on the wall.  He grabbed the coat hanging there and helped Cas into it.  This date was something he had looked forward to since the moment he’d learned he could bid for it, and he couldn’t wait to show Cas off to his friends and staff at the party.  First though, there was a table with their name on it waiting, and his stomach was starting to growl.

 

**hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

 

“I’ve never been here before.”  Cas said.  He had been impressed with Dean’s manners.  The door had been held for him to get in and out of the car, and now to the restaurant.  He hadn’t dated anyone this polite before.  It was refreshing.

 

“I ate here once with my mom and stepdad last year.  We were celebrating the opening of my 5th shop.  I opened my 6th this year, but we celebrated at an Italian place on the other end of town.  The food here is better.”  Dean placed a hand on his date’s lower back and steered him towards the counter where they were greeted politely by a host with way too much grease in his dark hair.  Instead of looking like he had styled his hair, it looked like he had a black helmet on his head.

 

“We have a 6:30 reservation.  Winchester.”  Dean kept his hand on Cas’ back as he gave the information.

 

“Yes, I’ll check you in now.  Your table should be ready in about 10 minutes.”  The man smiled politely.  “Would you like to check your coats?”

 

“Yes.”  Dean reluctantly took his hand away so he could remove his own coat.  He collected Cas’ and handed both over to the man who handed a ticket back.

 

“Smells wonderful in here.  Is this an Asian restaurant?”  Cas asked.

 

“It’s multicultural, mostly Asian but with some Eastern European and North African as well.  A little bit of everything.”  Dean replied as they found seats on a bench near one of the front windows.  “Everything is labeled by country, so you know what country’s foods you are selecting.  I enjoy the sushi but there is so much to choose from.  Makes this restaurant a specialty here.” 

 

“I like sushi.  I wonder if they’ll have any Russian dishes on the menu.”  Cas wondered aloud.  He turned away from watching the wait staff bustling about to look at Dean.  “My grandmother emigrated here from Russia and I grew up eating her cooking.  I haven’t had good Russian food since she passed away.”

 

“I think they have a few dishes.  I know I saw Borscht on there.”  Dean watched as Cas smoothed the palms of his hands down the front of his pants.  Either an unconscious gesture or sweaty hands, it didn’t matter as far as Dean was concerned.  He was drawn to the elegant, slender fingers, the perfectly manicured nails, the strong looking hands, and he hadn’t realized he had even reached out until he had folded his own fingers around one.  Cas smiled and there was a light in his eyes that Dean liked seeing. 

 

It was less than the promised 10 minutes before they were being seated at a table that overlooked what appeared to be an orchard, though with the heavy snow falling, it was hard to tell.  The sight was beautiful.  Strategically placed spot lights made the snow sparkle like a billion diamonds. 

 

“This place is beautiful.”  Cas turned his gaze on Dean again, taking a moment to study the man in profile as he perused a wine menu.

 

“I’m glad you like it.  My mom likes it a lot.  I have to get Sam to come sometime.”

 

“Are you and Sam close?”  Cas folded his hands on the table and watched as Dean looked up, those green eyes locking on his own.  He felt like he could get lost in the man’s gaze.  It had felt like that from the first moment they had met in that parking lot.

 

“Yeah, he’s one of my best friends.  It wasn’t always like that though.  He was a pain in my ass when we were little but the divorce, though it was amicable for the most part from our point of view, was scary for him.  He was 5 at the time.  I was 10.  We didn’t realize our parents were having issues because they kept it quiet when we were around.  When our dad moved out though, he took that really hard, and then he rebelled when Kate came into our lives.” 

 

“Kate?”  Cas asked.

 

“Our dad’s second wife.  I didn’t learn until I was an adult that my parents started having issues before Sam was even born, and by the time he was 3, they knew their marriage wasn’t going to last.  They were technically separated but still living together until the divorce was finalized.  So we had no idea it was even happening.  They always put us first.  Even after the divorce.  I respect my parents for that.  Dad moved in with Kate after the divorce.  Apparently they‘d been seeing each other for almost a year at that time, and when I was 12, they got married.  My brother Adam came not long after that.  I’m close with him too, but it’s different.  I think it’s because of the age gap.  Almost 13 years.  Wendy is 17.  My mom remarried and just celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary.  Our family is close enough that Adam and Wendy are friends.”  Dean was proud of his parents for making the effort they did to remain friends and keep peace for the sake of their children.  It allowed for Dean and Sam to grow up with a strong sense of stability, and knowing they were loved. 

 

“That’s wonderful.  Not that they divorced, but that they didn’t drag you and Sam through the ringer for their own petty needs.  My brother’s wife did that to him and he barely gets to see his daughter.  Her mother has programmed her to hate her father, and I think that’s wrong.  She’s 12 now.  I haven’t seen her since she was 8.  Her mother won’t let our side of the family see her.  It’s a shame.  My parents have been married for 47 years now.  Everyone is married except me, Gabe, Alfie, and Hael.  Hael is engaged though.  Michael remarried last year.  We all like his new wife _much_ better.  Anna has been married almost 10 years now, Gabe _was_ engaged, for several years, actually, but his fiancé left him at the altar.”  Cas said.  Dean winced.

 

“Oh, wow, poor guy.”

 

“Yeah, we were all pretty ticked about that, including her own family.  Gabe found out later that she was seeing someone else, and she left my brother for him.  He hasn’t been quite the same ever since.  He dates here and there.  Your brother is the first person he’s really shown interest in since she left him.”  Cas tilted his head, peering up through his lashes.  Dean’s heart beat faster at the sight.

 

“Is your brother gay?”

 

“No.  I don’t really know what he is, we never discussed it.  He’s dated all kinds of people.  He spent 3 years with a beautiful girl named Jess that I was sure he would propose to, but they ended up splitting.  Then he dated a guy named Andy for the next year and a half.  That one surprised me a bit, but Andy was a nice guy.  There was a bit of a mix after that.  Couple guys, couple girls, but no one in the last year or so.  I have no idea if he’s interested in your brother or not.”  Dean had tried to talk to Sam about it but his brother had clammed up.  He seemed upset that Dean had pretty much invited him to the party tonight without first consulting him.  But Gabe hadn’t spoken to Cas about it and no one had mentioned it further to him, so he had no idea whether Sam was bringing him tonight or not.  Really, all he wanted was for his brother to be happy.

 

The waiter came with the bottle of wine Dean had selected and they continued to talk once their order was placed.  Cas told Dean about his love for teaching, and how challenging it was while Dean explained his passion for working on cars.  The conversation continued through dinner as they talked about their lives, their hobbies, and anything that came to mind.  As they were getting ready to leave and Dean was helping Cas into his coat once more, he was pretty sure this date was going well.  Cas seemed receptive, smiling and engaging in conversation with him throughout dinner.  Not like his last date.  Aaron had seemed into him enough to say yes to the date, but over dinner he had seemed distracted and even bored.  Dean didn’t bother asking him out a second time, and Aaron had actually been upset, calling him 2 weeks later to ask why he hadn’t called to set up a second date.  That had been awkward.  He wasn’t getting those vibes off Cas.

 

“What’s on your mind?”  Cas asked.  Dean realized he must have seemed distracted.

 

“Sorry, I was thinking, this is going well, right?  I’m not boring you?”

 

Cas cocked his head, a puzzled smile forming on his lips.

 

“Boring me?  Certainly not.  I was afraid _I’d_ be the boring one.  I’m having a wonderful time.”

 

Dean smiled, letting go of the doubt that had been lingering at the back of his mind.

 

“You’re not boring in the slightest, Cas.  In fact, I think you’re the most interesting person I’ve gone out with in a long time.”

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful to hear.  I feel the same way about you.”

 

“So, you ready to get your dancing on?”  Dean asked.  Cas’ eyes widened.

 

“D-dancing?!”

 

Dean laughed as he ushered his date out the door and back into the cold winter night.

“I’m joking Cas.  There will be music but you’re not obliged to dance.  I’ll warn you though, some of my guys, they like dancing.  You might be in for quite a show once they get some alcohol into them.”

 

Cas grinned.  “Well, that just makes the night even more interesting, doesn’t it?”

 

**hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

They had stopped back at Cas’ house so he could let Poppy out again, and then made their way here, to where the party was being held.  Cas was nervous as they pulled up in front of a hotel.  A hotel?  Why were they at a hotel?  Dean got out of the car first, coming around to open his door for him, and then he was offering his hand.

 

“So, I invited everyone from all of my shops, along with their spouses or significant others.  That was enough people to know that I didn’t want to host something like that at my house, so…I rented a banquet hall.  I expect a number of them to get drunk, so I got a discount on rooms if they want to stay instead of driving home tonight.”  Dean explained as they made their way to the hotel entrance.

 

“Oh, that was nice of you.”  Cas said as they walked to the elevators. 

 

“It’s a little after 8 now, so we can stay as late as you want.  I don’t plan to drink much as I don’t want it to affect my driving later.  We’ll leave whenever you’re ready.”  Dean pressed the up button and stepped back to wait.  He turned when he felt Cas move closer.

 

“Thank you.  For everything, tonight.  I am beyond happy that it was you who won the bid.  I’m having a wonderful time tonight.”

 

Dean smiled and tentatively placed his hand on Cas’ lower back again as they stepped into the first elevator that opened.

 

“I’m glad.  I’m having a great time too.  Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

 

Dean hit the button for the top floor and they rode up in companionable silence.  Just before the doors opened Cas spoke.

 

“I wanted to say that you look very handsome tonight, Dean.  This suit is very flattering on you.”

 

Dean preened a little at the compliment. 

 

“Thanks.  You look damn good yourself.  Better than me in a waistcoat, that’s for sure.”

 

Cas chuckled as they stepped out of the elevator.  The faint sound of music could be heard and as Dean took his hand, they began moving towards it.

 

The banquet hall was big, and it was filled with people.  Cas was surprised to see so many were employed by Dean.

 

“All of these people, they work for you?”  He asked.

 

“Nah. I have 6 shops and employ about 6 to 8 people per shop, depending on where the shop is located and the amount of business it gets.  Most of them showed up with a date of some kind, whether they dragged along a relative, a spouse, a neighbor, just so they didn’t have to come alone.  I was the only one that was expecting to be here by myself.”  Dean admitted.  They had taken their coats off and passed them to a girl running a coat check and as soon as their hands were free, Cas was at his side, pressing in close so he was forced to put his arm around the man’s waist. 

 

Is it hard running a business?”  Cas asked.

 

“It can be.  My stepdad is a huge help though.  In fact…”  Dean looked around until he spotted a familiar head of hair across the room.  He led Cas over and tapped on the man’s shoulder.

 

“Dean!  Oh!  Is this your date?” 

 

“Yeah.  Cas, meet my stepfather Greg.  Greg, this is Castiel Milton.”  Dean pulled Cas a little closer, feeling a twinge of pride when the man came willingly.  Having Cas’ arm slide around his waist as he offered his free hand to Greg made him even happier.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”  Cas was nothing but polite.  Dean was sure his mother, who had to be floating around here somewhere, would love him.

 

“It’s great to meet you too, son.  Milton, is it?  You part of Milton-Roman?”  Greg asked.

 

“By proxy.  My father owns the company.  I have a share in it but I do not work there.  I am, however, on the board of directors.  My father insists.”  Cas replied.

 

“Really?  I didn’t know that.”  Dean thought Cas was just a school teacher.

 

“My father encouraged me to go for a degree in education, but he insisted that I also get one in business.  So I hold 3, actually.  I also hold a degree in accounting.  I have very little to do with the company.  I go over documents a few times a year and attend a few meetings.  If I wanted to give up teaching, I would have a job waiting for me with the company.  I have no intentions of giving it up though.”  Cas explained.

 

“I wouldn’t either.  You’re doing what you love.  If it makes you happy, why give it up?”  Dean admired Cas for his dedication to his students.  Cas smiled.

 

“Thank you.  It does bring me much joy.”

 

“Oh, here’s your mom.  Mary!”  Greg motioned to his wife who came over with a familiar red head.

 

“Hi, honey.”  Mary leaned in to kiss Dean’s cheek before turning an appraising gaze on Cas.  “Is this your date?”

 

“This is Castiel Milton.  Cas, this is my mother, Mary Davis.” 

 

Cas offered his most charming smile as he shook her hand.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  He told her.

 

“It’s very nice to meet you too.  Do you work with Sam?  I heard about the auction but I’m a little confused.”  She admitted.

 

Cas quickly explained the auction and repeated for her what he had already told Greg.  When he finished he looked over to see Dean in a conversation with the red head that had come over with Mary.  When she noticed him looking she nudged Dean. 

 

“Hey, Cas, this is my friend Charlie.  She handles my computer systems.  Char, this is Castiel Milton.”  Dean introduced.  Charlie smiled brightly and held out her hand.

 

“I heard all about you, Cas.  Nice to put a face to the name.” 

 

He smiled as he shook her hand.

 

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Charlie.”

 

“Gilda here with you?”  Dean asked her.

 

“Yep.  She’s talking to Victor and his date.” 

 

Dean cocked an eyebrow.  “Vic brought a date?”

 

“He did.”  Charlie confirmed.  “Even Garth brought one, if you count his cousin April.”

 

“Hey, I did say bring anyone.”  Dean laughed.  He turned to look at Cas.  “Would you like a drink?”

 

“Maybe just ginger ale or a coke for now.”  Cas replied.

 

“Alright.  I’ll go get us both something.  I’ll be right back.”  Dean squeezed his side lightly before letting go and leaving to head to the bar.  Cas suddenly felt very self-conscious standing there with his date’s parents and a woman he didn’t know at all.  Charlie was eyeing him with a sly smile.

 

“He bought that suit to impress you.  Did you like it?”  She asked.  He blinked in surprise.

 

“He did?  Y-yes, I do like it.  I liked what he was wearing when I met him last weekend too though.  He doesn’t have to try that hard.  I already like him.” 

 

“He’s kind of hard not to like.  He gushed all week about how handsome you were.  You’re better looking than anyone he has dated previously.”  Charlie said, grinning.

 

“Charlie, don’t scare the poor guy.”  Mary chastised.  Cas could hear the affection in her voice though.  Clearly Charlie was a close friend.  Mary turned to him and smiled warmly.  “Dean did tell us when he came for Christmas dinner last Sunday about the auction and winning the bet.  I knew then that he liked you.  Have you been having a nice evening so far?”

 

“Oh, very nice.  We went to dinner before we came here.  I am enjoying his company very much.”  Cas felt a little awkward having this conversation with his date’s mother.  Thankfully, she changed the subject.

 

“So Dean says you’re a teacher?  High school history?”

 

Cas relaxed and nodded.  He could comfortably talk about this!

 

**hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

 

Dean was only gone a few minutes and when he came back he had two tumblers of soda.  He offered one to Cas before leading him away to introduce him to more people.  Everyone was nice and very friendly and he found himself having a lovely evening.  Around 10 he switched from soda to wine while Dean nursed a beer.  There was a large screen television that had been brought in and was playing the New York ball drop ceremony live.  Somehow Dean talked him into dancing, and after getting the guy running the stereo to switch to something slow, he found himself wrapped up in Dean’s arms, swaying to a song he recalled from the movie Titanic.  He hid his grin as he let himself melt against his handsome date and thought about how much Balthazar hated that movie and the musical score.  It was something he had downright bitched about on their one and only date together.  Cas thought it might be his favorite song now.

 

The dancing went on until Cas’ feet began to hurt, and then he and Dean found a table to sit at. 

 

“I’m having a fantastic time.”  Dean slung an arm over the back of Cas’ chair and leaned close. 

 

“I am too.”  Cas hesitated only a moment before leaning against Dean’s side.  “This has been the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

 

“Last week was fun.”  Dean said, grinning.

 

“For you, maybe.  It was torture for me.  Balthazar was upset that his bid was beaten and said as much as I was leaving that night.  I have had enough of his pressuring me though and I told him off.  He is only interested in a sexual relationship.  I want more.  I told him as much, and that no, I was not interested in more with _him_.  I basically chewed him out in the parking lot, in front of my brother and half the company.  I think it’s safe to say he got the point.  He was bitter, said it wasn’t fair that I was so beautiful and that someone as beautiful as me got to take me out on a date.”

 

Dean was irked that Balthazar had continued to harass Cas after he had left last week, but he also found it a bit funny that the guy was actually jealous.

 

“He called me beautiful?”  He joked.  Cas laughed and shook his head.

 

“He did.  He’s right too.  But you’re more than that.  You’re absolutely gorgeous, Dean.”  He brought a hand up to Dean’s cheek and lightly stroked the man’s cheek with his thumb.  “I love your freckles.”

 

“Yeah?  I’m rather smitten with your smile.  Plus I don’t think I’ve ever seen eyes as blue as yours.  Tacky sweater or not, I thought you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen when I met you last week.  I still think so.”  Dean found himself leaning closer.  “Can I see you again?  I’d like to take you to dinner again, or if you’d like to come over this Friday, it’s movie night and some of the guys will be coming over.  I think this weekend we’re doing Lord of the Rings.  We do beer, popcorn, pizza, and we kick back and watch as many movies as we can before everyone starts falling asleep.  We do it once a month, and we pick a different house each time.  This weekend I’m hosting it.  I’d like if you came.”

 

“I’d love to.  I happen to love those movies.”

 

“It’s almost midnight!”  Charlie cried.  The music was shut off and people began to gather in front of the television.  Dean held out a hand to Cas and Cas happily took it.  They stood up and followed the others.

 

“Ten minutes.”  Dean murmured.  He looked at Cas and smiled.

 

“New year.  I think 2017 is going to be a good year.”

 

Dean nodded and slipped an arm around Cas’ waist.  Cas found it easy and comfortable to lean into him, and his own arms wound their way around Dean’s waist in return.  He hadn’t expected this level of comfort so soon with someone he had just met, but he didn’t get any kind of negative vibe off his absolutely stunning date.  So the auction hadn’t been nearly as bad of an idea as he’d convinced himself it was. 

 

“Five minutes!”  Someone yelled.  Cas leaned his head against Dean’s shoulder.

 

“What time should I be at your house Friday?”  He tilted his head up so he could see Dean’s face. 

 

“I close the shop at 6 and everyone starts showing up around 7:30.  If you want to show up at 7 we can sit and talk for a bit before anyone shows up.”  Dean replied.

 

“Would you like me to bring anything?”  Cas asked.

 

“If you like, you can.  Chips and dip are always welcome, but you don’t have to bring anything.”  Dean said.

 

“I’ll need your address.  Is there a chance we could maybe meet for lunch during the week?  I’m on break until the 5th.”  Cas didn’t want to wait a whole week to see him again if he didn’t have to.

 

“Yeah, why don’t we get together on Tuesday?  We can go out for lunch, then maybe see a movie or something.”  Dean was thrilled that Cas wanted to see him again so soon.

 

“That sounds wonderful.”

 

“Ten seconds!”  Victor shouted.

 

Dean pulled Cas closer until they were pressed against one another.

 

“Happy New Year, Cas.  I’m really glad I met you.”

 

Cas smiled and leaned in until their lips were barely brushing.

 

“Happy New Year to you as well.  I am very happy that I met you.”

 

The countdown reached zero and the room erupted in loud cheers.  Dean pressed forward until their lips met in a tender kiss.  Cas melted into it, humming happily.  This coming year was definitely looking up. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always welcome. Thank you for reading this.


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